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Why do we have two days off? Was and were for last weekend

A1 learners practice was and were, the past tense of be, in this ESL lesson plan about weekends and days off.

Grammar
The past of be in statements: was with I, he, she and it, were with you, we and they (We were at the beach.), and past time words like last weekend.
Topic
Weekends and days off in the US, from Ford's five-day week of 1926 to the 1938 law behind the 40-hour week, with words such as shift, sleep in, brunch and laundry.
Activities
A museum panel to read, a Monday-morning dialogue and a voicemail to hear, self-checking drills, a weekend chat, open-box prompts and a post to write.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, two days off!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: weekends and workVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the five-day week

    • Look at the photo: an old car factoryPictureUnlock
    • Read the museum panelReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: Monday morning

    • Listen to Olivia and TundeListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Grace's voicemailListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen to Grace and choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: I was, we were

    • Study the scheme: was and wereGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: be, now or in the pastFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: today and yesterdayFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: my last weekend

    • Choose the right replies: your weekendChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: my last weekendOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Drag was and were into the gaps: Tunde's postDrag and dropUnlock
    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a post: my last weekendWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a voice message: my last weekendSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • worker
  • shift
  • tired
  • sleepy
  • brunch
  • laundry
  • pajamas

Grammar: was and were, the past of be

A weekend story can be told with one past verb, be: I was at home. It was rainy. My friends were at the park. That makes the weekend a natural first step into the past tense. Learners move am, is and are into the past, choose was or were for each person and add a time word. Questions and negatives come later.

I was at home. We were at the beach.

was and were = am, is and are in the past: yesterday, last night, last weekend.

From am, is and are to was and were

Each present form has a past partner: I'm at work now, but yesterday, I was at home. The timeline and the table line them up for every person, and am and is share one past form: was. Are becomes were.

Before and now

pastnow
  • last Saturday: We were at the beach.
  • yesterday: I was at home.
  • now: I'm at work.

be: now and in the past

WhoNowIn the past
II am tired.I was tired.
youYou are at home.You were at home.
he, she, itShe is at the café. It is sunny.She was at the café. It was sunny.
weWe are at the beach.We were at the beach.
theyThey are sleepy.They were sleepy.

Was or were? Count the people

I, he, she and it take was; you, we and they take were. Nouns follow the count: The café was busy, The roommates were tired. You takes were even for one person: You were very sleepy last night, Tunde!

was

  • I was
  • he, she, it was
  • one person or thing: My mom was happy. The café was busy.

were

  • you were
  • we, they were
  • two or more: My friends were there. The roommates were tired.

Weekend sentences and past time words

Time words place a sentence in the past: yesterday, last night, last Saturday, in 1926. They can open or close it: Last weekend, we were at the beach. They were tired last night. On Sunday can mean last Sunday, as in I was at home on Sunday.

Weekend sentences

  • I was at home on Sunday.
  • It was sunny.
  • We were at the beach last Saturday.
  • They were tired last night.
  • In 1926, Saturday was a new day off at Ford.

Past time words

  • yesterday
  • last night
  • last weekend
  • last Saturday
  • on Sunday (= last Sunday)
  • in 1926

At home, last weekend: no extra words

Two phrases need care. It's at home, never in home, and last weekend needs no in, on or the: Last weekend, I was at home. The same goes for last night and last Saturday.

at home · last weekend

Say at home: I was at home all day. (Not: in home.) Say last weekend, last night, last Saturday with no in, on or the: Last weekend, we were at the beach. (Not: in last weekend.)

Coming in A2

In this lesson: was and were in sentences. In A2: wasn't, weren't and questions: Was it sunny? Were you at home?

Common mistakes

  • I were tired.

    I was tired.

    I + was

  • We was at home. They was tired.

    We were at home. They were tired.

    we, they + were

  • I am at home yesterday.

    I was at home yesterday.

    yesterday, last…: was / were

  • Last weekend, I was in home.

    Last weekend, I was at home.

    at home

More lessons on this grammar: Verb to be lessons and exercises · Past simple lessons and exercises

Try the was and were exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 12 auto-checked exercises
  • 2 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say where they were with was and were: On Saturday, I was at the park. We were at the beach.
  • choose was for one person or thing and were for two or more: My mom was happy. My friends were there.
  • tell now from the past with time words: Right now, I'm at school. Yesterday, I was at home.
  • describe a weekend in a few sentences: My weekend was great! It was sunny and warm.

Lesson 29 opens Weekend stories and plans, the last unit of English A1.2 · Out and About. It builds on am, is and are, reviewed for every person in lesson 4 of English A1.1 · Hello, World, and on A1.2 lesson 5, whose It's sunny now becomes It was sunny. Wasn't, weren't and questions such as Were you at home? come in A2, with the past simple. A history panel and Monday-morning news about Saturday both look back, so they give the two forms real work.

Students spin a wheel of weekend questions and learn ten words, from stay and sleep in to shift and pajamas, with pictures and audio. They read a history museum panel on the five-day week Ford gave its factory workers in 1926, then listen to Olivia and Tunde (an AI-voiced dialogue) compare their weekends and to Grace's voicemail from Detroit. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four exercises, each checked as students answer, among them a table that turns today into yesterday. In the speaking chapter, students reply to a classmate's messages about their weekend and open boxes that ask where they were.

Homework starts with two self-checking tasks: dragging was and were into Tunde's weekend post and matching words with their meanings. Students then write a post about their last weekend and record a voice message about it, and both go to the teacher.

Grammar:
was / were · the past of be · yesterday, last weekend · at home
Topic:
the weekend · the five-day week · work · free time · Ford

Teaching tips

  • Start with a then-and-now board: write Right now, I'm at school on the left, have a few students say where they were yesterday, and write their sentences with was on the right.
  • Ask about days off before the museum panel: which days do students work or study? The panel then shows how Saturday and Sunday became days off at Ford in 1926.
  • Play the Monday-morning dialogue twice: first for where Olivia and Tunde were, then for every were, so students hear it after they, you and plural nouns.
  • After the chat with Marisol, pair students up: one says Tell me about your weekend!, the other answers in three sentences with was and were, and then they swap.

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2A basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9How do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11Where's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16Thank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18How often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19What's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27Can you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28Whose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29 · you're hereWhy do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32What do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

When do you use was and were?
Use was with I, he, she and it, and were with you, we and they. Nouns follow the same rule: one person or thing takes was (The café was busy.), two or more take were (My friends were there.). Both are the past of be, so I am tired today becomes I was tired last night. The A1 lesson Why do we have two days off? on edio.ai practices them with weekend stories.
How do you use was and were in a sentence?
Put was or were right after the subject, then a place, a word like sunny or tired, or a time: I was at home on Sunday. It was sunny. The roommates were in the kitchen. A past time word such as yesterday or last night shows when, at the start or the end: Last Saturday, the café was very busy.
What is the past tense of be?
The past tense of be has two forms: am and is become was, are becomes were. So I'm at work now turns into I was at home yesterday, It's sunny into It was sunny, and We're at the beach into We were at the beach. Negatives and questions keep the same two forms: wasn't, weren't, Were you at home?
How do you talk about your weekend in English?
Say where you were and what it was like, using was and were: My weekend was great! On Saturday, I was at the park with my friends. It was sunny and warm. Give each day its own time word, such as on Sunday or last night. In the edio.ai lesson Why do we have two days off?, a chat with a classmate on Monday morning runs through exactly this.
Is it "I was" or "I were"?
In past statements, it's I was, not I were: I was tired. I was at the park on Saturday. Were belongs to you, we and they, so it's We were at home, never We was at home. The were in If I were you belongs to a separate pattern, for advice and wishes.
Is it "last weekend" or "on last weekend"?
Say last weekend, with no preposition: Last weekend, I was at home. Last already marks the time, so last night, last Saturday and last week take no in, on or the either. Without last, the preposition comes back: On Saturday, we were at the beach. The chat in Why do we have two days off?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, sets In last Saturday as a trap.
What words do you need to talk about the weekend?
Weekend talk needs words for resting, chores and late meals: sleep in (get up late), stay at home, brunch (a big late meal on a weekend morning), laundry and pajamas. A busy weekend adds shift, the hours you are at your job, and tired or sleepy. To place it all in the past, use yesterday, last night and last Saturday.
How do I teach was and were to beginners?
Build on am, is and are, which beginners already know, and move each one into the past: I'm tired becomes I was tired, They're sleepy becomes They were sleepy. Give every sentence a time word, and keep to statements until both forms feel easy. In Why do we have two days off? on edio.ai, a fill-in table turns sentences about today into sentences about yesterday.
What's a good game for practicing was and were?
An open-the-box game of weekend prompts works well: each box holds a starter such as Last Saturday, I was at … or My friends were at …, and whoever opens it finishes the sentence aloud. For a twist, students give three sentences about their weekend, one of them false, and the class guesses which. One of this lesson's boxes asks for three weekend sentences with was and were.
How do you practice was and were one-to-one?
Trade weekend news at the start of each class: the teacher goes first (On Saturday, I was at the market. It was busy.), then the student answers with three or four sentences. For practice alone, the chat in the A1 lesson Why do we have two days off? on edio.ai has the student reply to a classmate's messages, choosing My weekend was great! over My weekend were great!
What's good homework for practicing was and were?
A short post about last weekend makes good homework: where the student was, who was there and what it was like, as in It was sunny. My friends were there too. A voice message about the same weekend adds speaking. For Why do we have two days off? on edio.ai, both go to the teacher, after a drag-and-drop of was and were and a word match that check themselves.
Are there interactive exercises for was and were?
Yes: gap-fills and chats that mark each answer give learners instant feedback on was and were. Without an account, this page plays four parts of the A1 lesson Why do we have two days off? on edio.ai: the museum panel on the five-day week, Olivia and Tunde's Monday-morning dialogue, a gap-fill that mixes am, is and are with was and were, and a chat about the student's weekend. The rest of the lesson is locked.
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